Clean Up Questions And More

Eric S

Latex Brush clean up:

Remove access paint. Swirl in 5gal. bucket with water in it. Rinse in second bucket of water. Dry using rag and wrap up in newspaper...right?


Oil base brush clean up:

What I've been doing:

Remove access paint. Rinse in only one bucket of thinner (lacking additional thinner and buckets. Remove access thinner and dip in same thinner bucket then removing access thinner. Warm soap and water swirl remove access. First water rinse. Second water rinse. Dry out with rag and newspaper wrap. Brushes from last fall seized up (dried out). Had to rescue them by leaving in thinner for hours. Sometimes I have tried to remove access paint and thinner by passing brush over cardboard or by shaking it out in a contractor type trash bag...believe these methods are bogus!

Can you suggest the right procedure, chemicals, containers for this currently exotic task?


True?

Oil base primer is first coat on ship board house. One coat of it. I then painted the latex top coat upon it last fall. I have been told that I should have used a Latex primer and then the top coat.


How often should I be changing the rinse buckets for both the latex and oil brush clean ups?

Is there a way to filter Latex/H2O and oil paint/thinner so that the latex and oil products can be disposed of and the water/thinner re-used?

I received an answer to similar questions last fall from someone on this site named George? who referred me to an eco-paint site with the sponsoring company based somewhere in Canada...would be great if I could find that site again as it had pretty useful clean-up info within it's space.

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"One time I bought some used paint...It was in the shape of a house." -Steven Wright

Richard

I clean latex brushes in a sink and put them back in the sleeve they came in. I clean oil brushes in a cut bucket with thinner and put them back in the sleeve they came in. I put the excess thinner in an empty gallon container.

I'm the owner and operator of my business, so the brush(es) I use that day, come home with me and get cleaned properly every night. I'm too busy to deal with buckets and spinners and all that jazz. I wrap them temporarily in a ziplock baggie and bring them home.

The reason I am so particular about my brushes is that I'm (for a lack of a better term and also what my wife says )...a bit OCD

....and also because I pay $20 a brush.

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Rich

4thGeneration

Our BenMoore paint store in the older days would take a huge old oil tank and fill up the used spirits from all the contractors that dropped it off. When it settles you can glean the clean spirits as the oil settles. You can do this with a 55 gallon drum barrell with a spicket in it.

farrellpainting

For my oil primer brushes I have a 5gal with a steel rod through it thats filled with a gallon and a half of spirits.I scrape off all of the excess junk into my junker 5gal, hang them on the rod up to the ferrule in the spirits, and close the lid.The next morning I spin them out in the junker, wipe em with a rag, and if need be I repeat the process by just dunking them real quick and then spin em and a final wipe down.They come out lookin brand new every time!I also have a piece of plywood that I'll wipe em out on if I need them right away, if not I just hang them in an empty box/bucket to dry.The 5 of spirits needs to be cleaned and refilled once the tip of the brush starts touching the build up in the bottom, for me, maybe once or twice a season.

Latex I bring home also and clean THOROUGHLY in the sink, using a soft wire brush and a 5in1, throw them in a roller tray, and leave em on the counter for the morning.I usually have to spin em out real quick by hand when I get to the job site.

Tmrrptr

Cleanout:

Okay, I'll be the bad guy.

Here in CA, I don't use much in the way of alkyd products, but if it doen't stay in the can, I save it, and use it to prime something else.

Cleanout waste stays on the property that requested it, and is employed to kill something that should have been ded anyway.
Usually weeds.

Our latex washaout goes on the lawn.
It is mowed and clippings re-cycled.
Never, had a problem or complaint.
And sometimes it has been a bit more than we really wanted.
Once again, never had a complaint.

Yes, sometimes we leave 'em in the product overnite, sometimes wrap 'em in plastic and clean 'em at home...

Bottom line?
IMO it's better to write off tools periodically against a job than countless hours of meticulous cleaning at an hourly rate to keep an old friend around forever.

Follow the money.

r

farrellpainting

I understand this, but I'd rather have a nice,straght,clean brush to work with, not swampthing!I clean the brushes on my own time wich I dont like, because........well I don't exactly like coming home from the job to clean brushes for an hour on my own time, but it pays off every mornig!HO's might not tell you that they don't like you cleaning brushes in their yard, but I'm sure they would rather not have us do it!

Your only as good as your tools!

painterofeveryt

after I clean out my airless from latex and use thinner for a 1st rinse ,I throw that liquid in the freezer in the garage,next day the water has frozen thinner is still usable...and its really clean then also ...great for a 1st rinse on brushes...

George Z

Painters that are seen doing that have been reported and frankly
give us all a bad name.

The following is from our website:

http://www.ecopainting.ca/dispose.art.html

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George Z

http://www.ecopainting.ca/dispose.art.html

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Eric S

Thank you George.

This time I've saved it and will change to name of the link on my favorites menu so I'll know clearly where it is (the website).

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"One time I bought some used paint...It was in the shape of a house." -Steven Wright

davidanbess

Before I left the UK (have I mention that already ) my oil brushes would be left in a 2 off 1/2 gal tins 1 for white and 1 for coloured brushes,
the emulsion brushes (I mean latex) would be washed out thoroughly on job or back home, most brushes you buy do not come in protective sleeve, it is only in the past few years that the purdy brush has been intruduced over there.

Regards D/B

Joewho

Everything works better if you clean them before any paint dries on them. If I'm working outside, in the summer, in the desert, I'm usually cleaning brushes on the hour, in the same 5 of water until the end of the day. Then I clean them completely. Used water, clean water, whatever it takes until any water coming off the brush is completley clear. A spinner is the single best tool. If you want it to last, use it only to spin out brushes and rollers. If you don't mind the rust, dunk it in a 5 and spin away. It's fast.

Oil brushes get basically the same treatment. When the paint starts to drag, it's time for a rinse. Oil brushes get completley cleaned at least once during the day and again after work.

Interior work might not cause cleaning as often. I just rely on the performance to tell me when it's time.

Workaholic

This post is the one i agree with the most. ( except for the ziplocks )
And as far as those that treat their brushes as a write off. Imo a brand new brush sucks. The good brushes are the vetrans, the ones with some experience. Then when they get a little to blown out, cut the handle and make a duster out of them, if they are worthy enough, and if not trash em they made you some money.

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Sean